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Gear question about staying warm

Another gear question: Over the past 1000's of miles I have backpacked/hiked, I have used a long sleeve shirt to poly undies, to a comfy pullover for staying warm when I take a break or it's simply cool out. I like to take a shower/bath almost every day, so even in the summertime it can be nice to put on the polys and/or fleece pants and pullover to recover from showering under mtn lake cold waters.
I've noticed lately some people wearing rather small/thin looking down(?) jackets. Since they can be so warm, what would you all recommend I get that packs down rather small, is rated to 20 degrees and is not too expensive--less than $200. What about light pants that is something other than rain gear?

Preferences.... I have a nice down jacket that packs very small. I only pack it for when the weather is expected to be below 30F. I'm partial to the comfort of a dry, long sleeve shirt for those rest breaks or sleeping in.

I've tried wearing my Patagonia r1 fleece over and under my montbell Ul down parka. Due to fit I find it warmer with fleece under my down. Think it's due to the fleece compressing the down when worn over.

The North Face Thermoball. It's synthetic so I don't have to worry about it getting wet but it's incredibly warm for its weight, which is featherlight. It also packs down fairly small into its own pocket. Got it from amazon for $125.

The North Face Thermoball. It's synthetic so I don't have to worry about it getting wet but it's incredibly warm for its weight, which is featherlight. It also packs down fairly small into its own pocket. Got it from amazon for $125.

I agree on all but one point. I have a vest. Don't get me wrong. I like this vest and the Full Zip jacket I bought my nephew I sometimes wear. And, yes I've seen TNF's vid on this. While the TNF Thermoball jacket and vest with Primaloft insulation can withstand a lot of moisture as an outer layer and still retain much of it's "loft" and SOME of it's warmth it's not heavy downpour, prolonged rain, or water proof! It's also rather thin and light weight, especially the vest, so when you reduce the warmth holding characteristics it provides through convective heat loss when it's wet it's noticeable. The Full Zip Jacket MAY not be so noticeable in this regard though. The non DWRed 15D 33 g/m² 100% nylon shell layer gets wet and wets out under layers in the process. My call...good for lightest of rain or mist in a multi layered torso system but a far cry from being WP particularly if you're relying on it as your main source of insulation in wet colder conditions. In other words, you still have to be concerned about getting it wet.

I agree on all but one point. I have a vest. Don't get me wrong. I like this vest and the Full Zip jacket I bought my nephew I sometimes wear. And, yes I've seen TNF's vid on this. While the TNF Thermoball jacket and vest with Primaloft insulation can withstand a lot of moisture as an outer layer and still retain much of it's "loft" and SOME of it's warmth it's not heavy downpour, prolonged rain, or water proof! It's also rather thin and light weight, especially the vest, so when you reduce the warmth holding characteristics it provides through convective heat loss when it's wet it's noticeable. The Full Zip Jacket MAY not be so noticeable in this regard though. The non DWRed 15D 33 g/m² 100% nylon shell layer gets wet and wets out under layers in the process. My call...good for lightest of rain or mist in a multi layered torso system but a far cry from being WP particularly if you're relying on it as your main source of insulation in wet colder conditions. In other words, you still have to be concerned about getting it wet.

I don't have to worry about it getting wet in the sense that a light rain isn't going to ruin it like it might with down. And I have a rain coat to wear on top in prolonged rain.

Have you considered a high quality DWRed shell fabric on a down jacket/vest can offer similarities as the TNF Thermoball under your prescribed scenario? I have several down vests some with a high quality DWRed shell fabric in full working order that I can wear in the mist as an outer layer for a couple of hrs where loft isn't detrimentally affected that closely approaches what the TNF Thermoball can handle. What I'm also getting at is under your scenario if it gets too wet for this type of DWRed down jacket/vest that one need's to put on a WP shell it's what you'd be doing with the TNF Thermoball as well.

Have you considered a high quality DWRed shell fabric on a down jacket/vest can offer similarities as the TNF Thermoball under your prescribed scenario? I have several down vests some with a high quality DWRed shell fabric in full working order that I can wear in the mist as an outer layer for a couple of hrs where loft isn't detrimentally affected that closely approaches what the TNF Thermoball can handle. What I'm also getting at is under your scenario if it gets too wet for this type of DWRed down jacket/vest that one need's to put on a WP shell it's what you'd be doing with the TNF Thermoball as well.

the Eddie Bauer jacket I linked to above has DWR finish with Stormdown hydrophobic down. BackPackingLight and GearGuide both tested it and found no leakage.